Marrow
by Kamukura
Summary: Short summary of the simple non-living life of Nigou, high esteemed Hollow dog of a particular Arrancar army. Nigou befriends many resident Arrancars, loves his redhead tsundere of a master dearly, and misses the one person he wants to remember the most.
1. Master

He didn't have many memories when he was a living dog in the Human World.

His life was probably a short one if his first memory was the comforting and warm touch of a person's large shaky hands brushing his black and white fur. They called him "Nigou", so he assumed this name was the one his former master had given him.

"Number two" of what, Nigou would ask himself. He never received an answer.

Waking up in Hueco Mundo was frightening at first, but Nigou learned he didn't need to eat to live or look for shelter to sleep compared to when he was an abandoned puppy. Those days he remembered vividly and they were the worst.

Nigou wanted to forget the bad memories.

xx

It was a very long time until Nigou eventually met the one who most resembled his former master. The stretch between his awakening as a Hollow and their meeting were unimportant now. It was just like when he was alive, from birth to puppy, and then to slightly larger puppy.

Nigou had not once had a reason to use his barks before, so he started out rasping on short breaths which grew to small yelps, and finally transformed into louder complete barks. He put all his pent up relief and joy into his barks, and Nigou aimed them at the passing massive Hollow with the split eyebrows.

Though Nigou was a tiny puppy Hollow, even he knew his new master was larger than most. Master was as tall as the sky when Nigou tried to look at his face which resembled his former master.

Master was the same as Nigou's former master whenever he looked at Nigou. A red split eyebrow would twitch at the sound of Nigou's bark, and he would turn around, wave a hand at Nigou to go away, and then escape from Nigou as fast as he could.

Nigou faintly remembered another significant person he met in the Human World. All Nigou could remember of them were the black wristbands around pale wrists, the faint scent of vanilla, and the shadow across his cardboard box, Nigou's previous home before he had been taken in by his former master.

Nigou could not remember, so he looked forward to creating happy memories with his new master.

"What's your name, little dog?" Master asked Nigou as he backed away, causing tremors in the surroundings.

Nigou traced his paws in the grainy sand and presented to Master his work.

"Ni...gou?" Master read uncertainly. Nigou barked in reply. "Smart dog, aren't you?"

He approached Master, but Master only gave him an uncomfortable look and trod on to a place where many other big, heavy Hollows resided.

The Hollows there were of many sizes, but they still gave off the feeling of "heavy" and "human". Nigou could barely walk past them, because they were so "heavy". Sometimes Master was "heavy", too, especially when he ate a lot of food. Master was very generous about food, another similarity with his former master, and gave pieces to Nigou, too.

Master was so nice. Just being with Master was good. Sometimes, Master would be angry, so angry Nigou could see a pulsing aura as raging red as Master's hair. Nigou stayed with Master in a safe spot until it was over because he resorted to violence in his fits. He learned in the past of Master's rage, and Nigou had a healing scar to prove it. It was an accident so Nigou forgave Master, because he loved Master.

A pink haired female Hollow had rescued him and helped Nigou heal with soothing care. Nigou would have enjoyed the warmth and contact if he had not been separated from Master for so long. From then on, Nigou had the reflex to run far away at the first sign of anger, but he did not want to part from Master again.

Nigou was content, yet he still felt something was missing.

Whenever Nigou slept, he could almost see the shadow from his memories. The presence of someone's cool touch and vanilla scent lingered whenever Nigou woke from dreaming of his Human World days filled with round brown-orange objects and netted hoops. Every time, Nigou would wake up with the feeling of forgetting someone important.

xx

A man who was very cold and a bespectacled man like a snake held him and gave Nigou a number like Master. It hurt a lot, but if Master had one, then Nigou would have one, too.

There was a third man who watched, and Nigou wanted to run away immediately. One look at him struck fear into Nigou's body, manifesting as paralysis. Nigou had never felt so scared, even more than when he had been left alone in the cold rain by the master of his mother's litter with only a blanket and a box to shelter him.

Nigou wanted to turn over and show his stomach in submission. If Nigou had been raised by a strict master, he would have felt fear of impending punishment if he did not obey.

The man did not feel Hollow or human. His presence felt even bigger than Master, even though the man was only the size of an ordinary human. His stare made Nigou feel as if he was an insect, not a dog, unnecessary and needing to be squashed.

Don't hurt Nigou. Nigou would listen. Nigou would be a good dog. Nigou would not ask for treats. Nigou would do everything he was told. Nigou would disappear. Nigou only wanted to please and be loved.

Nigou was relieved he did not see the man again. Nigou had first experienced the feeling of serving under a strict master, but the scary man was not his master.

Master was his only master, the one he loved most.

xx

The heavy Hollows in the walled fortress called Los Noches were very different from Master and each other.

One with hair like Human World grass would become irritated when Nigou peed on his wooden box with wheels. Often times, Nigou would hear a human shaped Hollow with an eyepatch and black hair call him "Shin-chan" with laughter. The "Shin-chan" called everyone else "nanodayo". Maybe they were communicating to Nigou with their strange barks. A bark in reply to "Shin-chan" and another for "nanodayo".

They played with Nigou and threw objects for him to catch and bring back when he visit. They were the more fun and loud human shaped Hollows he knew, but they weren't as interesting as Master.

Master laughed too. He laughed whenever a heavy being appeared to challenge him. He would sigh in disappointment if they died. Nigou was sad, too. Only the strong made Master happy, with exception to eating. The few who beat Master were the ones least eager to challenge him.

Always were they merciful and forgiving.

xx

The pink haired female Hollow who helped him heal his wounds was a predator.

She would stealthily sneak up on Nigou and proceed to encircle his body with thin but strong arms to her generous chest. Nigou enjoyed contact, as it was a necessity for all dogs, living or Hollow, but only to the point of petting.

"Aw, you remind me of someone I had a crush on! So cute..."

Nigou could not communicate he was uncomfortable or was losing oxygen because of the lack of thereof, and her kisses gave off waves of reishi. At close proximity, Nigou could take it in, so he ended up feeling full and light headed once she released him after moments of cooing and rubs to his ears.

It was as close to drunkenness a non-living dog could get. He avoided all things pink because of his sprouting fear of her dreaded, breathtaking hugs.

xx

The heaviest Hollow of the Arrancars was a dark skinned, blue haired Hollow who gave off the feeling of "loneliness". Nigou remembered it too well from his early days as a puppy surviving by himself.

The aura around the dark skinned Hollow was similar to Master's, but it was akin to a frozen, azure fire. It burned so hot it felt cold. Nigou would find him together with the pink haired Hollow, and he would call her "Satsuki". She in return called him "Dai-chan".

Sometimes, when Dai-chan was alone with Nigou, he would bring Nigou's body close like Satsuki, but more carefully. Dai-chan would hug Nigou gently in his arms, and pet him softly as if Nigou would break with too much pressure.

Nigou would bark in protest at him for being too soft in his petting. Nigou liked to be scratched by Dai-chan, because he knew the places Nigou liked. He suspected his knowledge had to do with the wolfish origins Dai-chan's power stemmed from.

"You're a little dog, and I could crush you right now. Why aren't you scared of me? Why don't you die off like the rest?"

Dai-chan would mumble to Nigou in barks he didn't understand. Nigou could not interpret the low barks, but he could somewhat understand the feelings his aura reflected and the emotion coloring his dark blue eyes. Dai-chan's aura would turn a blue so deep, it darkened to a black midnight. Dai-chan didn't seem to be aware of his declining mood, so Nigou would humble his fellow lonely friend with a nudge of his snout or a paw placed smartly on a large tan hand.

Dai-chan would laugh and call Nigou a "good doggie", and reward him with a Human World dog treat. Nigou missed eating them after consuming only reishi for so long. A happy bark and an eager wag of his tail was the trick to his receiving his treat.

If being a cute puppy didn't work, Nigou would whine and snuggle himself closer in Dai-chan's lap. The white of Dai-chan's uniform would be covered in hair later, but comforting a sad friend was more important. Nigou's attempts would eventually get the the dark skinned Hollow's attention, and wetness sometimes formed in his eyes. A few drops would fall to Nigou's nose and he would lick them, only to taste the saltiness and the sadness in them. They weren't very filling. The drops made Nigou feel empty.

"I'm sorry, Nigou. You were lonely too, huh? That Bakagami doesn't know how to treat lonely creatures like us right."

Dai-chan rarely would cry and hold Nigou up with two hands and bury his runny nose into Nigou's black and white fur. Nigou knew it was a sign of wanting comfort, from one canine to another. Once he felt better, his aura would lighten to a hazy indigo, the color of the Human World night sky before the new day's dawn. Nigou would rub his head against Dai-chan's tan tear streaked cheek, also feeling a little sad. Nigou didn't have this kind of comforting with Master.

In fact, Master didn't touch Nigou at all. A person Nigou couldn't remember gave Nigou touch, comfort, warmth, and food when he was alive. He knew this after repeatedly having the same dream every night. Nigou knew Master cared about him, but had a past trauma with dogs. He knew Master cared, because he noticed Nigou liked the smell of the vanilla food he ate and the color of the ceiling in Los Noches.

What Master didn't know was Nigou loved Master's pure smile more than the vanilla scented food. The spark in Master's normally fiery eyes was more dazzling than the fake sky the scary man had placed to secretly watch his Arrancars.

Master was rough but kind. Master was angry at the world, for being unfair and creating too little too strong. Nigou wanted to carry the burden for Master, but Nigou knew Master was too gentle. Master only showed his kindness to Nigou. Master stayed away from Nigou to keep him safe.

He really was the kindest master.

Nigou would have liked to meet his real Human World master, but Nigou would not trade his current happiness for his past life's happiness. His Human World master had a tendency to disappear, and it was what he did once Nigou woke up as a Hollow; his former master disappeared almost completely from Nigou's memory.

xx

The human shaped Hollow with bright red hair was a complete opposite of Master. One eye was also a shade of red, but the other was a golden yellow. The traces of tear marks of his respective eye colors bled on his cheeks, but he was not sad like Dai-chan. They were there like the pattern of Nigou's fur.

Master was a warm, blazing hearth while the tear faced Hollow was like controlled simmering flames. Unlike the other Hollows, Nigou knew his full name. After all, he addressed Nigou like a person. The Hollow had introduced himself as "Akashi Seijuurou" and acknowledged Nigou had simple intelligence, much more than an average dog. Nigou liked that he knew Nigou could understand. It made communicating his message much easier.

Everyone else usually called him "Aka-chin", "Seijuurou", "Sei-chan", or "Akashi-kun", but Nigou remembered him as Akashi for his vibrant hair. The red was sometimes unsettling to look at, flowing from under his helmet like Hollow mask fragment.

Akashi was smaller than the rest of the Hollows, specifically the Espada group Master belonged to. He was man-shaped, slender and fair, and was "heavy" on par with Master and Dai-chan. He had no Fraccion, and Nigou at first thought it was because it was not in Akashi's nature to be friendly.

"Nigou, what is it that you are number two of? Did the _Cero_ give you such a name?

Akashi talked to Nigou often because Nigou could not understand most of his words.

"It's alright, little one. That man will not take your master away. Even I can see he feels affection for you."

He spoke gently so Nigou would not run away.

"Sleep well, Nigou. I hope you have better dreams than the last."

The Espada closed his eyes and smiled softly at Nigou in his quarters when he was resting, because he felt he would forget how to the next time he awoke.

"Filthy affection like this is for your master. Try doing this with Taiga or Shintarou next time."

He let Nigou lick his hand because the Espada wanted the simple pleasure of releasing his guard after so long. Akashi granted Nigou rare sides of himself because he knew such things were insignificant to Nigou.

"Nigou...I'm certain it hurt greatly when Nijimura and Imayoshi placed this number on you. Though, I wonder, why place a number on you, a mere Hollow dog, like they would an Espada...?"

Nigou would feel the faintest traces of confusion within Akashi after his conversations with a human he brought to Los Noches. The scent on Akashi was the human's smell of uneasiness and an almost unidentifiable feeling. It was a smell he knew from his past with his former human master who was not Master: a firm resolve.


	2. Dog's Best Friend

A/N:

I'm delving into some little Nigou adventures that may seem insignificant but will become important later on. Well, I can't really say this is a small adventure seeing how this mini story is nearly 5,000 words, but I couldn't help myself.

I introduced a few characters you'll probably never see except for maybe a group mention in Hollow Miracles, so this is their time to shine. I was kind of hesitant about writing a transformation story for Nigou, but I just thought, eh, why not? So here it is.

* * *

"Hey, little doggie. Come here, I have something good for you."

Hanamiya enticed Nigou temptingly with some of his favorite dog treats. Rarely did Nigou ever receive them from Dai-chan because he could only import them from the Human World every so often. The treats placed precariously before Nigou's eyes were like the secrets to the universe for any other.

"Yes, little one, follow the treats. I'll need you to be my guinea pig for this new hypothesis I've thought up," Hanamiya sweetly cooed. He held the treats by the tips of his fingers and Nigou unconsciously followed them with his eyes and body all the way inside Hanamiya's chambers. "Okay, we're taking a small trip to _that_ room. I hope that man doesn't mind if I use it for this one experiment."

One of Hanamiya's Fraccion scooped Nigou up into their arms just as he was about to bite into the treat thrown carelessly on the floor by Hanamiya. Nigou growled but didn't struggle, finding displeasure at being handled so roughly but knowing it was no use causing harm to someone stronger than Nigou was.

They brought Nigou to a large dark room. The light from the hallway shined upon a glowing ball encased in glass on top of a pedestal. Nigou could feel the power pulsing from it and throughout the room. Nigou felt scared like he did with the scary man. He wanted to run away.

"Here, we are!" Hanamiya announced. He looked to Nigou and the Fraccion. "You, bring him over to the glass. I've seen the way that man has placed soon-to-be Arrancars near but not touching the _hyogyoku_, so do it like that."

The Fraccion obeyed and stepped closer to the pedestal, but hesitated once it got within arm's length.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hanamiya asked.

Their master's question prompted them forward and Nigou was placed close enough to see the various colors swirling wildly within the glassy ball. Nearer still, and Nigou touched the glass surrounding it. A bright light shot out from a crack on its surface and it cast its beam onto Nigou's defenseless form and he glowed as if the light itself was absorbed into his body.

Hanamiya's Fraccion had released Nigou once he saw he was lighting up the room, and Nigou stayed suspended as a translucent barrier formed around him and his glowing form.

"Amazing!" Hanamiya mumbled in awe. He was quickly writing his observations within a journal he had brought with him. "Why did only this regular Hollow's body glow? The glass encasing is expected but the glow is abnormal, and - huh?" He stopped taking notes abruptly to stare.

Nigou's brightly lit dog form was changing inside the glass. His short stubby limbs elongated and his paws grew fingers and opposable thumbs. Nigou's torso was no longer furry and transformed into a pale thin torso and bony shoulders. The fur had retracted and seemed to resurface onto his now humanoid head, the hair a messy mass of black, white, and still present ears. The tail was more or less the same but was situated to cover some suddenly obvious parts while he was suspended in a fetal position. Nigou's Hollow mask was placed to cover his entire face. For some inexplicable reason, Nigou could hazily see himself outside his new body.

Hanamiya whistled low. "Now, this is a sure surprise. Why didn't that man inform us that animals could transform into humanoid forms like Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde?" he asked to no one in particular. He wrote what he saw within his observational notebook as he took in different views of Nigou's human body inside the glass casing, not taking his eyes off of him.

Hanamiya received an answer anyway.

"No, you just got to witness something very peculiar, Hanamiya."

The Espada froze, recognizing the speaker. He glared at the man wearing a white modified Arrancar uniform and a wry grin behind a pair of thick square glasses, leaning against the doorway as if he had been there for a while. A sword peeked out from the opening of his robes, a reminder he was capable of defending himself.

"Imayoshi," Hanamiya grumbled, stiffly. "How long have you been there?"

"Just long enough to see what you did to the _Cero_'s little pet. Fascinating isn't it?" Imayoshi asked, tilting his head to Nigou. "I would have been surprised too, if I didn't already know a wolf guy back in Soul Society."

"Is this normal?" The Espada waved his journal toward the glowing form of Nigou. "You said the dog turning into a human was peculiar."

The Shinigami adjusted his glasses in thought. "Hm, it certainly is the first case we've had. Although, maybe it's just this particular Hollow that's making this phenomenon special? You've seen how easily it can survive within its master's presence at his best." He was referring to Master's raging fits.

Hanamiya narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You mean, he's learned to adjust around the _Cero_? That doesn't seem plausible," he reasoned, flipping through the data in his notebook.

"It's not because of being near Kagami," Imayoshi explained after a moment of silent thinking, "it's the makeup of the dog itself. Can you see the color of the reiatsu within it, Hanamiya?"

The Espada took a moment to squint hard into Nigou's body and replied, confused, "There's two colors. Why?"

"Here's what I think," Imayoshi surmised as he walked up to the glass. "You see these parts around the ears and the tail?" He pointed to the parts of Nigou that weren't all human. "They're grey, probably the bits of the little guy that's originally his. Now, the blue parts," Imayoshi gestured to the rest of Nigou's human body "is probably someone else's reiatsu from some past infusion."

"But -" Hanamiya interrupted, brows drawn, "all of us higher level Arrancars are infused with many various Hollows from the past. That's how we became so powerful and why we took the forms we have now. So why is this dog so special?"

"Haven't you noticed yet?" Imayoshi grinned. "Does the blue reiatsu feel normal to you? I noted you had to squint to find it. You should be on a level where you can detect the power it emanates below its almost invisible presence."

Hanamiya widened in eyes in understanding. "You mean to say this small Hollow dog infused with a high class Hollow and still retained its personality and form?" he asked in shock.

"Who knows?" Imayoshi shrugged his shoulders, appearing bored with the whole speculation. "As I said before, the dog itself is a phenomenon. Let miracles be."

He stretched out a hand to gently tap the surface of the glass. The contact sprung a series of cracks and Nigou saw himself twitch within the hazy tunnel vision. The next time he blinked he was among broken shards and looking up into Hanamiya's still unlikable face with the funny eyebrows, asking for his name. His memory faded out with the Espada's sneer and him attempting to catch Nigou before he collapsed and blacked out to nothing.

xXx

Nigou awoke to the sound of Master's voice rumbling nearby. Blinking open his eyes tiredly, Nigou saw he was not in his dog bed but tucked inside a large one with white comfy sheets. Nigou recognized it as Master's.

Master had finally let him sleep with him!

When he yawned, Nigou found something strange missing. He could not find his snout within view.

Nigou remembered the other day's events; Hanamiya taking him away into an eerie room and feeling a sharp burning light spread throughout his body, and the out of body experience he had seeing his own newly human self.

He didn't mind the new limbs and sensations. Maybe this new form would be more likable for Master?

Untangling himself from the sheets, he stood on all fours and found it difficult to keep the position for too long. Nigou now understood why human shaped creatures stood on their hind legs. Remembering how Master got out of bed each morning, Nigou sat on his behind on the edge and scooted forward with his hairless arms to the floor. Immediately, Nigou reverted into a crouch, shifting his weight to his legs and placing his pale arms in between his bent legs for upper body movement. His curled tail helped to balance him from behind. It wasn't what Master and the Arrancars usually stood like, but the position was comfortable for him and his new body. Being human was easier than Nigou thought.

All Nigou had to do was look for Master. Nigou had heard Master's voice, so he was presumably in the kitchen Master had installed for meal times. Nigou trot to the light of the room, smelling the scent of fried meat. Nigou felt his canines dig into his human lips and drool forming in his smaller human mouth behind his dog skull mask.

Inside, Nigou saw Master's backside as he was frying his food. Now that Nigou was bigger in size, he could see Master from a human's point of view.

Master wasn't as big as Nigou had thought when he was doggie sized, though he knew Master's Hollow form was formidable for dog and human. Nigou could concentrate on small details of Master, instead of seeing Master as one huge body of happiness. Master's small red braid at his nape swung when he moved and the muscles on his back bunched when he flipped a pan on the stove. Master hummed a tune to himself as he continued cooking the meat.

Nigou would engrave the image of the detailed Master into his memories for good. He was grateful to Hanamiya, just this once, for kidnapping Nigou and forcing him into an experiment.

Master hadn't noticed Nigou was present yet. Nigou wanted to show off his new body to Master. When Nigou planned to bark, only a huff of breath came out instead.

Nigou remembered humans could not bark like he could, and his body was no different.

Master. Master. Nigou could finally speak to Master.

"M…" Nigou began quietly, "m-ma…ster?"

Master turned his head in Nigou's general direction and, finding no one, looked down.

"Holy shit!" Master yelled and dropped his spatula. He violently fell to the floor in a defensive position. "Nigou?" he whispered cautiously as he scooted away.

"Master!" Nigou said breathlessly in reply. Why was Master running away?

"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?" Master exclaimed, then shook his head. "No, you wouldn't understand me, anyway."

Master wanted Nigou to speak! "Understand what, Master?" Nigou tilted his head in question.

"...So you do understand. Smart dog. Or, is it Arrancar, now?" Master wondered to himself. He glanced at Nigou warily. "You won't bite me in this form, will you?"

Master was acknowledging Nigou! Success. "Only if Master wanted Nigou to," he dutifully replied. Master was still Master.

"Right, I forget you're still part dog and you think I'm your master," Master said, wryly as he stood up and approached Nigou. "I was completely surprised when Hanamiya's Fraccion dropped you off by my door unconscious. I asked them why they were giving me a random Arrancar until I saw the mask and the tattoo on your back."

He crouched down to Nigou's level and scratched him behind the ears. Nigou leaned into the touch and his tail thumped in satisfaction. Master had never touched Nigou before. He hummed at the pleasantness.

"Ugh, I'll have to commission a uniform and a bigger bed for you later," Master mumbled more to himself than Nigou. "Guess Aomine won't be giving you any treats, huh, Nigou?" he grinned at him then looked away. "Uh, make that right away. I don't have any clothes that will fit you."

"Master!" Nigou exclaimed in happiness, not phased by his own nudity. "Food!"

Master chuckled. "Now this I can understand, but you stink," Master sniffed and scrunched his nose. "You'll need to take a bath before you even think about touching food."

"Yes, Master."

Nigou obediently followed Master to the bathroom in a crouch, much to Master's dismay ("Oi, why didn't you just walk?"), and waited as Master filled the tub with soap and water. Master rolled up his sleeves and took a peek at Nigou, in case he had to physically put him into the tub and almost glanced away immediately at the sight.

Nigou had turned his back on Master to gawk at himself in the mirror above the sink. Though Nigou had already seen his body before in the strange state outside it, he continued to be awestruck at the transformation. Pale flesh replaced his fur covered skin and his short wild hair had spots of white in the black. The size of his body was more fragile than Satsuki's, not yet fully grown into his height as a permanent non-living puppy. Nigou's black ears were kept evenly and he moved them up and down to test them. His face...Nigou had to see his face. It was important to see his face.

Nigou pushed his skull mask to the top of his head. What he saw took his breath away.

Nigou's face was as pale as the rest of him, and his canines bit into his bottom lip. He had a human nose, a mouth with lips, teeth too sharp to really call human, and a pair of large, startling blue eyes. The eyes were what captured Nigou's attention.

"They are just like Master's," Nigou whispered to his reflection.

No, he shook his head, his _former_ master. Nigou knew the one piece of himself was the link connecting him to his former master. As Imayoshi, "glasses" Nigou knew him as, had said, most of himself was made of an almost invisible reiatsu. Nigou summed it up thinking maybe a part of his former master had died with him. It protected Nigou from disintegrating from the larger powerful Hollows with reiatsu like Master.

Even away and in death, his former master kept Nigou safe from harm. Nigou's need to be with him swelled.

"Nigou, have you always had that scar?" Nigou's current Master asked from behind him, voice muffled.

Nigou turned away from the mirror to see Master sitting on the edge of the tub with a hand to his mouth and staring intently at the wall. He peeked quickly at Nigou and glanced away again, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Nigou has always had this. Remember, Master?" Nigou crawled across the tiled floor toward him. He stopped once he reached Master's soled feet. "It was an accident."

He made an indignant noise. "Don't look at me like that. Making me feel guilty with those puppy eyes of yours," Master said behind his hand. He narrowed his eyes to look closer at Nigou. "Hey, since when have you had eyes?"

"Since becoming human, Master. And these eyes are my former master's, so I can see how he sees."

"Your former master?"

Nigou nodded. "Yes, my former human master who has eyes like these, a face like mine, but amazing blue hair. He is a lighter blue than Dai-chan."

"Dai-chan…?"

"_Primera_, Master."

"Oh, you meant Aomine. Of course, you did."

Nigou whined, "Master, foooood."

Master brought both his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Just get in the tub and once you're clean, you can eat."

Nigou eagerly climbed in with a splash and resurfaced with his hair and ears matted down and bubbles clinging to his skin. A shake of his head and Nigou got Master wet, too.

"I'll have to scrub behind your ears, so you know how to do it yourself," Master instructed, not as irritated as Nigou thought. The water on his clothing sizzled and evaporated in an instant.

Master knelt down besides the tub and lathered shampoo from a bottle into his hands. He placed them gently onto Nigou's wet hair and slowly began scrubbing. It felt pleasant.

"Don't fall asleep."

Master's voice jolted Nigou from dozing off. He peered over his foam covered shoulder to see Master's face. Was Master angry with him? He was being unusually nice.

Master wore a content smile to himself, attention directed to the task at hand, which was a surprise. Master had not worn such a genuinely positive expression since Alex and Tatsuya.

"Master, may I ask you a question?" Nigou dared to ask.

He glanced up, split red eyebrows raised. "Sure, I'll listen. You must have lots for me since you can't talk as a dog. Shoot."

Contrary to Master's easy going attitude, Nigou only felt more nervous than before. He dug up the courage with a gulp and decided to just let it out.

"Are you happy?"

His hands stilled at the nape of Nigou's neck.

"That's not the right question," Master retorted, stiffly. "Ask me something else."

Master didn't say anything about asking a "right" question. Master had been very vague. Nigou moved away from him with a harrumph.

"Hey, I'm still washing your hair!"

Nigou drifted to the opposite side of the tub and let himself sink until only his eyes and nose were above the water. Master promised he would listen, but he did not. Nigou learned of something new which he did not know of as a simpler minded dog: irritation with a Master who did not carry out his promises. He threw a scrutinating frown at Master.

Nigou had always known what he was feeling once he felt it. Happiness at Master's smile. Joy in the taste of treats. Sorrow at the sight of Dai-chan's tears. Longing for the presence of his former master. Comfort in the warmth of Satsuki's (rarely gentle) embrace. Loathing at the deeds Hanamiya committed without consideration.

Now, he sensed a myriad of emotions spilling together. Nigou could not pick out each individual one and it was unpleasant to try. Humans, or beings resembling them, simply would feel too much. Perhaps it was the case with Master.

Having found his solution, Nigou doggie paddled back to Master who had been watching Nigou swim patiently. He sensed something was off with Master and hesitated from reaching the end closest to him.

Master widened his eyes at this and sighed. Master seemed disappointed.

"Master, I am sorry." Nigou looked down in shame. He had never intentionally disobeyed Master before.

"Don't apologize. I'm the one at fault," Master said with another sigh. He rubbed his soapy hands in the space between Nigou's ears and Nigou unconsciously let out a chirp at the newly discovered scratch spot. Master's hands were warm. "To answer your question; I don't know."

Nigou cracked open an eye he had closed, confused. "Why not?"

Master looked anywhere but Nigou. "Things like feelings and stuff. I never understood that, even when I was a human," he reluctantly confessed. "It's difficult for me to...verbally admit how I feel sometimes. I only know how to act."

"But what about Dai-chan?" Nigou asked. Dai-chan, he knew, was a very important person to Master.

"Aomine?" Master gave a startled look. "How is he relevant to this?"

Oh. Nigou almost let Dai-chan's secret slip. The _Primera_ had sworn him into secrecy, even though at the time Nigou couldn't have said anything anyway. He had to make something up to cover up the slip.

"Dai-chan is like you," Nigou quickly bluffed. "But he is not. You act your emotions loudly and clearly. Dai-chan keeps it in hiding."

Good job, Nigou, for letting Master know more than he should have. Good job.

"Is that so?" Master hummed, scratching his face in a contemplating pose. "Are these your questions, Nigou? I'm afraid there might be a limit to what I can say."

Dai-chan's secret was safe for now. Before he could say another word or sigh in relief, a sound rumbled deep from within Nigou's stomach.

"Was that you or a dying whale?" Master joked incredulously, amazed at the noise the small body could produce with the lack of food. Nigou pouted sheepishly down at his stomach in the water. "We should get you washed and dried before you catch a cold," Master laughed, grabbing a towel to dry his hands with.

A smile gradually crept on to Nigou's face. Master's laugh was infectious.

After cleaning the grime off Nigou and drying him with a natural power Nigou found useful for a cold day, Master allowed him into the kitchen to sit at the table in the new uniform that had arrived mysteriously while they were preoccupied. They both agreed the _Cuatro_ was secretly attempting to redeem himself with the perfect fit clothing. Sometime while he had blacked out, Hanamiya must have taken Nigou's measurements. Nigou shivered.

"You almost put me and the _Segunda_ to shame with the pace you're eating this," Master remarked after Nigou had gone through his ninth large serving in under five minutes. _Small body, infinite black hole of a stomach_, he thought.

"It is...very difficult...to keep this appearance...so I require adequate energy..." Nigou said hurriedly through bites.

Once he was done with his eleventh bowl, Nigou sat back full and satisfied. "Thanks for the food," Nigou offered out loud.

Master was gazing at him with a pondering expression and a hand propped under the jaw fragment of his Hollow mask. Nigou stared back, mesmerized. He never got tired of observing the details of his belovedMaster.

Spikey tips a fiery crimson, then lower shorter hairs and tiny braid a wooden burgundy; uniquely split eyebrows furrowed deep in thought hovering above a pair of warm, sometimes burning eyes a shade darker than his aura - Nigou admired the color Master pulled off so well. He was different from the vermilion and piercing amber tones of Akashi, who gave off searing light rather than Master's signature heat.

A moment of this and Master coughed uncomfortably to ask, "You may continue our conversation from before. The questions, I mean," he elaborated with another cough.

"Actually, Master, I only have two questions to ask of you," Nigou admitted, firmly. He had thought about his questions long and hard, and chose the most meaningful ones worth asking. "The second one I will not ask of Master until the time is right."

It would be saved until the time Master realized the significance of the one who rivaled him so evenly.

Master raised an eyebrow but did not comment. He waited for Nigou to speak. Nigou inhaled deeply, his frail fists clenched tightly within the material of his uniform, as he prepared his nerves for any leftover backlash Master might have had. It was all or nothing.

"Do you truly feel, Master Kagami Taiga, that life is worth living now as the strongest Hollow within Hueco Mundo?"

Master did not respond for a long time. Nigou watched him with sad eyes. If he did not answer, it would be fine. If he did, and said no, it would also be fine. Nigou would stay with Master always, through the rough and the terrible. Nigou would have liked to hope for a positive answer, but his experience in the afterlife had ingrained into him it was safer not to.

The light from the dome of Los Noches filtered in through the window of the room, exaggerating the shadows and planes across Master's sharply cut form, detailing features Nigou had not noticed before.

He had beautiful cherry light lashes, not as long or thick as "nanodayo" Midorima's, but noticeable enough to brush the top of his cheeks when he closed them.

His large hands were well crafted and calloused, the skin on them a light tan and the fingers well proportioned and used to wielding a sword or being swung bone against bone. Nigou knew they were warm.

Master was extremely well toned, his muscles obvious against the surface of his own uniform. He was so much stronger in appearance and power, compared to the small, immature Nigou who would never grow. Nigou wondered fleetingly if all humans were this observant to others of their kind. He never saw Master in such detail until his senses changed to a whole different being.

_"...These blue parts," Imayoshi gestured to the rest of Nigou's human body, "is probably someone else's reiatsu from some past infusion."_

The human part of Nigou was responsible for his new sight. He had said it himself to Master once before, that he was seeing the word anew with the eyes of his former master. Becoming closer to the form of his former master enhanced their connection, yet still allowed Nigou to be himself.

His former master really was too kind.

Master stirred when the sky had dimmed to orange. Nigou discovered Master had fallen asleep. He had mistakenly thought Master was taking his time to answer. Funny, how he had new eyes to see, yet he could not notice the one little thing. But, Nigou would remind him again if sleep had cursed him to forget their previous conversation.

"Master, what is your answer?" Nigou whispered, voice raspy from lack of use.

The _Cero_ blinked open his eyes tiredly, sleep still holding him in its grasp. He shifted his gaze until they rested on Nigou, and he brightened into a disoriented smile.

"When did you dye your hair black? Finally trying to match your hair color to your name like the rest of your elite clique?" Master chuckled half asleep, apparently mistaking Nigou for someone else. He narrowed his eyes. "Did you shrink, too? Or am I just getting bigger?"

It was better to go along with Master's half-lucid dream. It would maybe get an answer out of him easier this way.

"Funny, Kagami," Nigou referred to Master with his name for the first time. "Please, your answer."

Master scratched the back of his head irritably. "Yeah, something about being strong? Nice try, but we both know how that goes." He stared directly into Nigou's eyes. "The breast-loving bastard who refused your fist bump is still the strongest."

Nigou slumped his shoulders, not expecting the refusal of strength. Denial was bad according to some instinct of his.

Master mumbled under his breath, "Me become number one? We're doing it together, you idiot."

Name calling was a majorly stern sign of anger. Nigou had to wake Master up.

Nigou stood up from the kitchen seat and planned to shake him awake when Master bolted up from his own, jolting the kitchen table ajar. His hands were spread on the table, his eyes staring at something far away and seemingly crackling with a power Nigou could not name.

"This is the life I want. I wouldn't change a thing," Master declared proudly in a tone different from the Master he knew. This man, surely, was the man Nigou could call "Kagami Taiga", the one who felt strongly and acted with a true passion in all he did.

These dreamy words were enough for Nigou.

Master had exhausted the power that had fueled him into the burst of humanly emotion, the crackling light in his eyes fading abruptly. He collapsed into his chair and his head fell with a heavy thunk onto the table, probably leaving a dent for later.

A good time after the light outside had disappeared and the ones within Master's room flipped on automatically, Master awoke groggy and uncomfortable after hours sleeping in a sitting position.

"Did Master have a good nap?" Nigou asked quietly with a smile.

He widened his eyes, seeing the time and Nigou's unmoving position next to him. "Oh, I slept even though I was supposed to answer your question," Master realized, apologetically. "You look exhausted."

"Please, do not worry about it, Master."

"Did I keep you up?"

"No..." Nigou said, quieter than before.

"Good, because I am starving for some food. Is there anything you want?" Master offered.

"Besides...treats...nothing."

"Okay, I'll get to it."

"Thank you...Master."

Kagami removed himself from the table and made his way into the kitchen to cook a meal large enough for two ravenous individuals with black holes for stomachs. He finished it under a record fifteen minutes and he scooped up two servings for himself and his companion in the next room.

"Oi, Nigou, the food's ready.

He saw no one sitting at the kitchen table. The _Cero_ wandered into his larger living space, searching for the boy sized companion he had come to befriend earlier in the day. He ignored the discarded clothing on the floor of the dark room and called out for him.

"Where are you hiding?"

He was greeted with silence.

"Nigou?"

He receive a response this time: a simple bark.


End file.
